Dear Friends,

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       I am writing to say hello as we enter our summer season together. It has been a great honor and privilege to be your Rabbi this year. 

       This morning I was thinking about what my vision is for our wonderful Beth Ohr community and what we have to offer those who join us for our services and classes?

 

 Why are we Here? 

      There are periods in history when many people feel lost and 

unconnected to anything that really matters.  At Beth Ohr we offer a solution to the feeling that we are just getting through each week without a sense of purpose or growth.  The solution is found by joining us as we sing, pray, and study together.  These three simple acts that we engage in each time we meet, connect us to each other and to the loving energy that is coursing through the world and through each of us. It is easy to feel alone in our world today.  Beth Ohr is a place where you will always feel like you belong and that you are home.

 

     As your Rabbi there are a number of important ideas I try to bring to our community, The first and most important idea is that at Beth Ohr we open our arms and offer a metaphorical warm embrace to all who join us. My vision of our community is that each of us is a part of a beautiful collection of spiritual seekers coming just as they are and being celebrated for who they are. I value and appreciate all of the special gifts that you bring to Beth Ohr and the world at large.

      

     Cantor Andy and I always seek to create Holiday and Shabbat services which are accessible and engaging. We both believe deeply in the power of Jewish practice to change people’s lives and heal the world. Our goal is to use the prayers and wisdom of our tradition to inspire you if you need inspiration, awaken you if you feel like you are sleepwalking through life, and comfort you if that is what your spirit needs.

 

     I would also like to offer you some thoughts as we approach the High Holiday season.

 

The Coming High Holiday Season

      The High Holidays are a time to recalibrate your path through life.  As you journey through the High Holiday season your goal should be to create a vision of yourselves that will be open to all the moments of joy you will experience next year and to give you the strength to deal with all of the possible challenges you may face as the year progresses.

     

Preparing for the High Holiday Season

    Our High Holiday prayers and teachings have been refined over the centuries by Jewish sages, to water the garden of our soul so that it blossoms with beauty and strength. Cantor Andy and I will be preparing all summer to offer you the best of what our tradition has to offer.  

 

     And here is one final and important thought. The best way to get the most out of the High Holidays is to prepare for them by participating in communal prayer and study before the High Holidays begin:  as we have for the past few years, Cantor Andy and I will continue our Kabbalat Shabbat services once a month via Zoom this summer. We do this so that we can maintain our connection to each other and keep the spiritual fires in our hearts burning as we prepare for the coming High Holiday season together.  

 

We will meet once a month for three Friday Night Kabbalat Services on Zoom at 730 pm this summer,  Friday June 12th, Friday July 10th, and Friday  August 14th. I hope you will join us. A notice will go out soon for next week's service.

 

    How wonderful it is that our community founded by Rabbi Roth continues to grow stronger, more wise, and joyful as we journey through Jewish life together.

Sending All Of You A Bouquet of Blessings,

Rabbi Jason 

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